


first blood

by badgerterritory



Category: Emelan - Tamora Pierce, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 06:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4866044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badgerterritory/pseuds/badgerterritory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>eden alpha's first test run doesn't quite go as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	first blood

“Initiating drift,” that mechanical voice murmured. Sandry braced herself, and then felt the connection with Briar deepen. They became each other, and a moment later they settled. Sandry knew her own body, separate from Briar’s. She flicked through a few of Briar’s memories curiously, seeing his childhood in a gang, his first meeting with Rosethorn, his first date with a girl. In return, he poked through her memories.

“If my little birds could return to the flock.”

That was Rosethorn, of course. She was in charge of their training. “I want my tunes,” Sandry said. Metal blasted into their ears for a few seconds and Sandry said, “Okay, point taken.” She shared her displeasure at Rosethorn’s strictness with Briar, who just sent back his amusement.

Rosethorn cleared her throat. “Please begin your walk, children.”

 _She’s unusually restrained today,_ Sandry commented to Briar.

He flashed a grin. _Probably doesn’t want to get reprimanded again for threatening to skin us alive if we made trouble._ Sandry giggled at the memory. They began to walk, trading memories back and forth. They could feel Daja and Tris still, but they couldn’t get through the drift to their natural connection. It was one of the few downsides.

They walked a mile up and down the coast. When they were satisfied with the results, Rosethorn said, “Time to come home,” and the same moment they got the kaiju alert.

“No,” Rosethorn said. “Don’t you dare. If you even think about it, I will skin you both and hang you in a well.”

 _The kaiju’s early,_ Sandry thought to Briar, trying to sound pragmatic but leaking enthusiasm. _It’ll take them at least a half-hour to mobilize another Jaeger. At the very least, we can hold it off until they can get another mech in._

Briar didn’t quite know what to say. Usually, Sandry was the voice of reason. Or one of their sisters, but Daja and Tris couldn’t reach them through the drift. Rosethorn was still threatening them over comms, and suddenly she let out an indignant shriek. Lark said, “Dears, please come back. They’re already mobilizing the Army, and it’ll only be twenty minutes until Rosethorn and I are deployed. It’s likely the kaiju won’t even make landfall. I have to go, but your sisters are here.”

There was a minute as Sandry and Briar were walking in silence, and then Tris said, “Rosethorn is literally going to kill you. All those times she said she’d hang you in the well, Briar? She is going to build a well in the middle of the base and hang you in it.”

“Hi, Tris,” Sandry said cheerfully. She felt Briar’s smothered laugh and grinned at him. “You’re just jealous because we get to punch aliens.”

Daja, then: “Don’t let it bleed on you. And don’t try to use any of the weapons, they aren’t ready. Your best bet is grappling. Try to get your hands on it and throw it. Stay in motion. Your Jaeger isn’t built for power, so that’s your best asset. And don’t die until Rosethorn gets her hands on you.”

“We won’t,” Sandry promised. Briar just echoed the sentiment to Sandry; Daja already knew he had no intentions of dying.

They watched the kaiju approaching on their display, counting the miles as they got into position to intercept. It would be on them in less than two minutes. If Lark’s twenty-minute estimate was accurate, eighteen until they had backup.

When it burst out of the water, Sandry and Briar watched it with fascination. It was small for a kaiju, thin. Like them, more speed than power. It exploded into the air, to fall on them from above. They stepped out of the way just in time, and its claws crashed into the ocean at the same moment as its long, bony horns. Three of them, two on the sides of its head, one on top. It had a long, powerful tail that looked like a fish’s. And, of course, the clawed feet with webbing.

It burst out again after a few minutes, and this time they were ready. Turning, Sandry and Briar caught it. They kept turning, and threw it hard into the water, face-first. It was stunned for only a moment; when they released it, it swam away. It tried its leaping attack one more time, but after they countered it again, it went to the depths.

“Kids, get back to base. We’re making our way along the coast.” That was Lark. Sandry was prepared to turn around, but Briar shook his head.

 _We don’t know where it is,_ he pointed out to Sandry. _And it’s changing tactics. Rose Weave is mostly a brawler. They don’t have the kind of speed this thing has. All we have to do is catch it and hold it long enough for them to kill it._

As they were debating, something struck their Jaeger’s leg. It was Briar’s quick reflexes that saved it from total destruction: He kicked forward, colliding their leg into the kaiju’s midsection. Still, it was damaged, and Sandry relayed that to Lark and Rosethorn. Rosethorn showed everyone where Evvy’s swearing skill came from.

“We won’t be able to get out of range fast enough,” Briar said, to Sandry and his foster mothers. And to his sisters. “We’ll move closer to the coast, so it can’t sneak up on us again.”

It didn’t attack while they moved, which was a miracle. As they turned to face the ocean, they saw its horn a second before they felt the impact. This time, Sandry took the lead, pounding a fist into its back. They hit it again before it fled, tail churning the water.

They took stock. Both legs functioning, but damaged. _We aren’t going anywhere until that thing’s dead_ , Sandry said grimly. Briar repeated it out loud.

Rose Weave was in view. Briar told them everything they knew about the kaiju, and explained their idea to kill it. Lark and Rosethorn agreed after a hesitant moment.

Once again, they saw the horns as it approached. They braced, and when it was close enough, grabbed the horns and twisted, forcing it onto its back. In a flash, Rose Weave was there with its primary weapon: A massive needle with a cauterizing level of electricity running through it. The fight was over in seconds.

They fell, blacking out.

*             *             *

When Sandry came to, Rosethorn was already shouting at Briar. A quick thought from him told her that they’d gotten the sappy stuff over with already. Lark was knitting, which she only did when she was stressed. Daja and Tris were asleep. Lark laid a hand on Sandry’s elbow, then went back to knitting. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmured. “But you should have returned to base when we told you to.”

“But then Rosethorn wouldn’t have an excuse to yell at Briar,” Sandry murmured. Rosethorn told her exactly what she thought of that, then went back to scolding Briar. Lark just hid a smile between her hands and went back to knitting.


End file.
